Batfink: The Complete Series

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All Rise...

Our legal team removed the section of Judge Kent Dixon's review where he reminisced about recreating Batfink's fighting techniques. We do not encourage children to attempt these at home. Thank you.

The Charge

"Your bullets cannot harm me—my wings are like a shield of
steel!"—Batfink

Opening Statement

An over-the-top narrator who peppers his words with cliches and delivers a
cliffhanger message just when we think our heroes are doomed.

Nearly every on-screen action is accompanied by a well-placed
"POW," "ZAP," "ZOOM," or "BEEP."

A hero available at a moment's notice when the Chief of police calls.

Deeply dimwitted villains who always seem to miss their most obvious
weaknesses—like the guy who has super hearing but forgets to protect his
ears from nasty sounds like HUGE BELLS!

Apologies to both Adam West and Burt Ward, but I am NOT referring to the
live action TV Batman of the 1960s who danced the "batusi." Yes ladies
and gentlemen, you guessed it—I'm talking about Batfink!

Facts of the Case

With his super-sonic sonar radar and bulletproof wings, wheeling about in his
unforgettable signature vehicle the 'Batillac,' and with his trusty sidekick
Karate at his side, yes true believers, he's Batfink!

Batfink has ruled his own special corner of TV airwaves since the
show was created in 1966. Created quickly as a cartoon lampoon of the Batman and Green Hornet live-action
shows that aired during the same era, Batfink has become a treasured
memory for a wide audience of fans ranging from those in their 40s who watched
when it first aired, to younger fans who have seen the show in re-runs. The show
continues to air around the world today from Cartoon Network in the U.S. to
Nickelodeon in India as recently as 2007, and translated into Hindi to boot!

The Evidence

As I get older, my childhood memories are becoming the increasingly more
cherished ones. And as more and more of my cherished childhood memories are
arriving on DVD, I am able to introduce (my wife would say 'indoctrinate') my
children to the classic cartoons that came before them.

It's the child in me that relates to these shows, taking me back to a time
before I had a job to go to every day or a mortgage to pay. Shows like
Batfink were cherished friends I could spend my early Saturday morning
time with—they told me fun stories that captured my imagination, showed me
dazzling and vibrant images, and even made me laugh.

To this day, Saturday morning fare like Looney Tunes, The
Flintstones, Scooby-Doo (pre-Scrappy Doo!) Batman/Tarzan/Lone
Ranger Adventure Hour, Blackstar, Space Ghost, Jonny
Quest, Dungeons and Dragons, Flash Gordon, Superfriends
and yes, even Batfink, have a special place in my memories. Even as I
re-watched the show and revisited my childhood in preparation for this review, I
watched in awe as my five-year-old son transformed into a Batfink fan,
right before my eyes!

Not unlike The Flintstones, to save money and production time,
Batfink episodes reused backgrounds and other elements. But like The
Flintstones, these kinds of little quirks are what add to the character and
charm of an animated show. At times as I watched Batfink: The Complete
Series, I found the drawing style used on some of the characters and
background plates kept reminding me of something else, and I realized it was the
1969 Rankin/Bass release of Frosty the Snowman—another beloved
animated childhood memory.

But what's the appeal of a show like this, when the animation isn't that
stellar, the dialogue is cheesy and each episode only lasted around five
minutes? Those very same elements that may be seen as weaknesses are strengths
in my mind. If you know a young child or have one of your own, you know that
five minutes is a pretty good guess at their attention span. And it doesn't take
Emmy Award-wining dialogue or high-end CG animation to impress a child.

The voice of both Batfink and villain Hugo-A-Go-Go, Frank Buxton has
remained largely behind the camera as an unseen announcer or character voice
until the early '90s, when he appeared in the film Frankie and Johnny, and more recently, in a
variety of TV roles. Buxton has impressive additional credits as the writer
and/or director of various episodes of '70s sitcoms Happy Days, The
Odd Couple, and The Bob Newhart Show. Rounding out the balance of the
main recurring characters, Len Maxwell lends his voice talents to both Karate
and The Chief.

All 100 episodes of Batfink are included on this release (yes, I just
said ONE HUNDRED) and are distributed as follows:

Eyes and Ears I'm thankful that Shout! Factory took
the time, effort, and love to get Batfink: The Complete Series onto DVD
in any form, so keep that in mind as I review both the video and audio elements
of the presentation. How does the show look on DVD after over 40 years? The
colors are washed out and muted, the image is generally soft throughout, and
some dirt or minor damage is also visible in nearly every episode. But without a
Warner or Disney budget backing this show, it's hard to expect a frame-by-frame
restoration. The set fares better on the audio front, as the audio presentation,
though focused in the center channel, is crisp, clear and distortion-free.

Extrasnoth*ing
[nuhth-ing] 1. no thing; not anything; naught: to say nothing. 2.
no part, share, or trace (usually fol. by of): The Batfink set
contained nothing in the way of extras. 3. something that is nonexistent. As
you may have gleaned, aside from brief promo spots for The Milton The Monster Show: The
Complete Series and Best of The Electric Company, the set includes no
extras of any kind.

Closing Statement

If you're a fan of Batfink from childhood, you likely already know
about this new DVD set. But if you're not, Batfink: The Complete Series
is definitely worth a look, especially if you're a fan of cartoons from the 60s
and 70s.

The Verdict

Batfink: The Complete Series is cleared of all charges and released to
keep the streets safe from bumbling evil-doers everywhere. Oh yeah, and we fired
everyone involved in bringing this courageous and carefree champion Chiroptera
before us on these ridiculous charges in the first place!